Students protest in Stellenbosch over language

I had to see what faculty this impromptu demonstration broke out in - no surprise. Bit like the 'feminists' who complain about the lack of female representation in STEM when they themselves all study Gender Studies. Laughable.

The students who are there to study and learn actually do so without bitching and moaning. The Western Cape is, AFAIK, about 70% Afrikaans speaking, so I think there is a case for the existence of an Afrikaans medium university. Besides, even when I studied there many years ago, the majority of my books were in English and many of the lectures too. In 3rd year our economics prof was a visiting prof from the States...

Having just returned from Namibia, I find it interesting how prevalent Afrikaans is there - spoken, in print and on radio, and somehow they don't have the same carrot up their arse as this country does.
 
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alqassam said:
No higher education needs to be taught in english. We compete in a global environment. Afrikaans should be made a 3rd language and french or spanish mandarin or arabic should be made a compulsory second lanuage.
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Okay :wtf: So someone from a rural area that speaks only their home language will never be able to get an education?
 
Higher education should be in English in South Africa. Otherwise add zulu because it's after all the biggest tribe in South Africa. In this thread you just see people trying to protect the apartheid legacy. To hell with that. Hopefully the government intervenes and stop this nonsense. This is a public university for all south Africans not a certain ethnic group in our country.
 
I don't get this language issue. I studied at Tuks in the 80s, then a fully "Afrikaans" university. All my textbooks were in English and the profs had no problem with me writing my exams in English. I found the campus and the students welcoming to English-speaking students. Unless there is a different atmosphere at Skelmbosch, I think a lot of the "discrimination" there may be exaggerated by lazy and underachieving students who want to blame others for their failures. Stop toyi-toyi-ing and get studying.
 
alqassam said:
But the majority of the people in the country speak other languages and the university is funded by government . Its unfair to cater for a minority. Furthermore afrikaans has no real relevance outside of South Africa.
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It is.

Take Quebec University for example. Their entire website is in French (can you say the same for Stellenbosch?)
http://www.uquebec.ca/reseau/

A minority of Canadians have French as their home language.
 
alqassam said:
No higher education needs to be taught in english. We compete in a global environment. Afrikaans should be made a 3rd language and french or spanish mandarin or arabic should be made a compulsory second lanuage.
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Where are all these teachers going to come from. We can barely get Maths teachers. Even English is poorly taught in schools, which probably explains why students have issues.
 
People justifying it by saying they went through the same system is rediculous. Just because you are smart as you claim online doesn't mean everyone is in real life.
 
BlackMamba said:
So u reckon Afrikaners need their own varsity...lok a white only varsity
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No. I reckon the Afrikaners made their own university, and it is being taken away from them by people who pluck from a tree they didn't plant.

Besides, at least half of Afrikaans-speaking people are not white. It has nothing to do with pigmentation and everything to do with culture. Or do you think a "zulu king" is a "black" thing? (Hint: tribal kings are known in every skin colour).

edit: fix taaipoe
 
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Pavan said:
Agree with the comments above.

1. English
2. Zulu
3. Xhosa/Afrikaans
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There's plenty of animosity between the universities and each have their unique culture, which often gets in the way of education. As a 'melting pot' of culture we should embrace multi-linguism. Trying to get uni's to collaborate on curriculum aikona.

It's fair to say most students have to lodge to study (at stellies anyway). So why not offer some courses in one language at one institution, and in another language at another institution? If you want to study in your language you go to that institution, but other subjects will be in other languages. This way we preserve our indigenous teaching corps and benefit local students who might not be able to travel far to study in their own language.
 
jansdejager said:
I dont know stellies well but it was largely white and afrikaans when i visited my bro there 2008-2011. I can understand the discomfort of being the odd one out having gone to an all-english varsity. But to say classes or the admin dont cater to non-afrikaans is disingenous. They should try that at kovsies or potch and promptly see their tires slashed and clothes on the compost heap. Stellies is not going to change overnight and if you feel left out at the 'braai beraad' get a girlfriend of your preferred complexion to translate for you. It's not like we're from pluto or something. I spent a year eating by myself in the dining hall at i'm better for it.
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I studied at kovsies, and I suggest that you perhaps you shouldn't comment on something you haven't went through. Some of us studied honours courses in a language we don't understand, so you shouldn't treat people's disgruntlement over this issue lightly. Have you attended a lecture in isiZulu or Sesotho, and still expected to pass the course?
 
greg_SA said:
Why enrol in a university that will have some content in Afrikaans, and then complain? WTF. There are other English-only universities...

We even had foreign students in our classes at Stellenbosch, and all the textbooks are in English anyway, so they handled it fine.
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How do you know they handled it fine?
 
winner said:
People justifying it by saying they went through the same system is rediculous. Just because you are smart as you claim online doesn't mean everyone is in real life.
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I went through that system, and I support these students in their protests. Afrikaans and English students should be separated in the lectures.
 
Arthur said:
No. I reckon the Afrikaners made their own university, and it is being taken away from them by people who pluck from a tree they didn't plant.

Besides, at least half of Afrikaans-speaking people are not white. It has nothing to do with pigmentation and everything to do with culture. Or do you think a "zulu king" is a "black" thing? (Hint: tribal kings are known in every skin colour).

edit: fix taaipoe
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I have no problem with an Afrikaans-only university, but we shouldn't use state funds to fund racism.
 
The language protest is an annual event at Stellies it's almost a ritual or rite of passage... just smile and nod it will be over soon.
 
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